The Controlled
by xxtigergirlxx
Summary: Lucky 13! okay here it is, the chappies everyone has been waiting for! Tobias gets a new kind of hope as Jake looks down on his team.... sad in my opinion. Visser, well, we definately see a different side of him..... r&r!
1. Nighttime Surf

MARCO

The waves crashed on the shore of the sandy, deserted beach.

Hi. My name is Marco. And I guess you guys pretty much know about everything, right? Well, if not, then here's the scoop. Me, my best bud Jake, and a couple of our friends aren't normal.

That's the first thing you have to understand.

I mean, we used to be, but we're not anymore. A few years ago, I would have spent my free time playing video games and checking out hot babes. Now, I spend it fighting parasetic alien slugs that are trying to take over our planet.

Don't you dare crack a joke about rehab. I'm not crazy. Aliens are real. I know, I've seen them. And if that doesn't convince you, my mom's one of them. And so is Jake's older brother, Tom. Well, not really aliens. I mean you can't tell... just... oh well, you'll figure it out.

So anyways, right now I'm stuck on the beach, in the rain, listening to Jake ramble on and on about the Yeerks.

Those are the aliens I told you about.

"So Fearless Leader, are you gonna tell us why we're here?" Rachel asked. Jake stepped to the middle of our group, his arms folded across his chest signaling that he was either cold or in a really bad mood. He glanced up at us before speaking.

"I came home last night at 7:00. My parents are gone for the weekend so Tom and I have the house to ourselves." he stated. Rachel gave a low whistle.

"Luckily," he continued, " I came in quietly because Tom was on the phone. He was talking about something for Visser Three. A gift." He paused and let that information sink in before continuing.

"However, I don't know what it is. He lowered his voice so I could only make out 'ready?…Visser…machine.. Bandits.'" He recalled.

"So, this machine that their making the Visser has to do with us?" Cassie asked. Her brow was wrinkled in confusion.

"Exactly!" Jake exclaimed.

Rachel's eyes lit up. "So let's destroy it already! What are we waiting for?!" Great. Rachel smelled danger. But Jake put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"Not so fast Rach." He said. "We don't even know what the machine does yet. I say, we go fly, sneak in, pick up some information on this device, and _then _we can destroy it."

My head perked up and I grinned devilishly. "Rachel without fighting? How ever will she survive?" Rachel grabbed my head and wrapped it in a noogie.

"Come here you little…" she said playfully. I started to laugh, my eyes watering.

"Okay," I said between laughs, "okay, I give in!! Uncle! Uncle!" She released me and I ran to the shelter provided to me by my best friend. Jake started to laugh along with everyone else.

"Alright people," he said after a few minutes, taking on the leader roll again, "until tomorrow, meeting adjourned." I stopped laughing.

"Until tomorrow? Great Jake! That makes me feel loved. Does anyone here care about my sleeping schedule? Cause it is seriously messed up because of you guys." I replied desperately.

Everyone laughed.

For once, the meeting wasn't so bad.

Maybe everything would go right tomorrow on the mission. Maybe we would all be okay. Maybe this victory would bring us one step closer to defeating them. And maybe, just maybe, we would win.

I am so full of shit.


	2. Trapped

JAKE

It was a quiet, clear afternoon and because of the showers last night, the grass was sprinkled evenly with drops of rain. The temperature was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. It sucked that I couldn't just hang by the beach and relax. Instead, because of my own stupid mouth, I had to be cooped up in a super cold building as a fly with my five friends.

Hey, the name's Jake. And I'm anything but normal. I used to be, but then one night my life changed forever.

But I guess you already know all that, don't you? Well, anyways, Marco's probably filled you in on all the details. If he hasn't, too bad. My parents are coming home in an hour, and the house is trashed so I can't help you.

Tom is home but he, of course, won't help. He says that he's 'too busy' which is his language for 'I don't wanna'. So I'm stuck cleaning the house.

By myself.

I was just putting away the dust rag when I heard a car pull into the driveway.

Damn.

My parents were home.

I quickly grabbed a magazine off of the floor and flopped down on the couch. I pretended to read just as I heard the key turn in the lock.

My parents came in looking very relaxed. I guess they had been at some spa & resort thing up north somewhere. Yeah, I know, I'm so tuned in to the outside world. My mom looked around and saw me in the living room.

She smiled. "Hey Jake!" I pretended to just notice them.

"Oh hey guys! How was your weekend stay at the resort?" I asked innocently. My mom glanced at my dad before turning back to me and smiling. "It was wonderful! How was your weekend, Jake?" I shrugged.

"It was okay, I guess." I replied. My mom looked around the house, while I realized that the magazine I had been "reading" was upside-down. She turned back to me as I quickly flipped it around

"Where's your brother?" she asked. I stood up.

"Tom? Oh, uhm, I really don't know. Last I saw him he was upstairs in his room, but he said he was really busy so I decided not to bother him."

My mom nodded. "Oh," she said, "okay then." She heaved her suitcase up the stairs and made her way to her bedroom to unpack. I guess they met Tom on their way up, because there was some excited chatter and the _thump-thump_ of their suitcases again.

Tom came downstairs and immediately headed for the kitchen. Halfway there, he called to me, asking if I wanted anything. I said no as I glanced at my watch.

I had to go soon anyways. I didn't have time for a snack, and besides, I can't fight on a full stomach. If there was going to be a fight. I really didn't know.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door. My parents were in their bedroom upstairs and Tom was in the kitchen. He obviously hadn't heard the knock. Either that or he was too lazy to get it. Sighing, I stood up.

"Please, Tom, don't bother to get any exercise. _I'll _get the door." I said sarcastically as I reached for the handle. Had I bothered to look out the window, I would have known what was coming.

I pulled open the front door to reveal none other than Victor Trent himself.

Otherwise known as Visser Three. The Abomination. The Animorphs Enemy Number One.

I knew I was shaking, a mixture of fear and anger. He slowly leaned towards me so that we were soon face-to-face. He was so close I could smell his over-usage of cologne.

"Hello Little Jake." He snarled. I stepped back. It was apparent that he hadn't brushed his teeth this morning. I decided to speak up, not wanting to look too intimidated.

"Hey, Mr. Trent. Did you want to see my dad? Cause I think he's still upstairs

unpacking." I said. Smooth , Jake. Real smooth. He stood back up and laughed a little then looked down at me again.

"Oh no, Jake." He sneered, "I don't want to speak to your father. I'm more interested in you my little bandit." I could literally feel my chin hit the floor, my eyes grow wide. _No, no! He can't know! _I could hardly breathe. I could feel what little air that had been in my lungs, catch in my throat at those words.

_My little bandit…_

_He knows! He knows! Run, run!!_

I took a step back from him again as my parents decided to come downstairs and see who was at the door. I wanted to look at them, to give them some signal that told them to go. To leave. But I couldn't move, couldn't look away. I just stared into his eyes. Those evil, twisted eyes.

My dad greeted him, friendly as normal.

"Victor! Good to see you!" He beamed. Visser Three looked at him and also smiled.

"And you, Greg." He said. My father looked from him to me, his eyes showing how confused he was. He made his way to the landing and asked, " Can I help you with something, Victor?"

As if he had been waiting for that question, he put a surprised expression on and replied, "Why, yes Greg, you can." He turned to the side so that we could see the half-dozen humans lined up behind him.

"Take them." He ordered. They rushed past me and grabbed my father from behind and shoved him into a wall. My mom who had been halfway down, realized what was happening and ran back up.

The next thing I knew, I was surrounded. Controllers, along with my brother, cut me off behind, and to the left was a wall. The stairway entrance was blocked by the couple of controllers and my dad. The Visser stood in front of me and blocked of my only escape route. The front door.

Wait! My window! Was it open? Yes! It was, I had opened it earlier since I was to go to Cassie's! But that was upstairs. And the controllers prevented any entrance to the first step.

Could I jump the railing? I decided yes, I could. It was only a few feet high, and if I couldn't make it, well at least I tried.

Ha ha hah. The visser drawled. Poor little Jake. Trapped and helpless. Face it, without your team, your nothing more than a sitting duck. An easy target. He threw up his head and laughed.

This is it. I faked running forward then made a quick cut to the right. I used every ounce of strength in my body to jump over the rail and up to the stairs.

I landed on the second step, but the controllers immediately gave chase. I clambered up to the second floor where I nearly tripped over my mom, who was huddled in a corner with her knees to her chest.

I gazed at her reluctantly, unsure of whether I should leave her or not. I decided it was best to leave her. Not best for her of course, but for me.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as a tear slipped out. I hadn't meant to cry, but after I actually realized what I was doing, I just let the tears fall.

I had wasted too much time! The controllers were behind me and closing fast. One of them grabbed at my leg, but over the years of war and fighting I had learned to dodge such attempts. I fought my way passed them, and finally reached my room. I didn't bother to slow them down by shutting the door, but instead I ran to the window. And as I ran I morphed. Into what, I still don't know. All I know is that I had tears running down my face and my heart was pounding when the figure appeared. Holding a gun, it ran and blocked my escape route. Through my tears, I couldn't see who it was.

I saw him aim the gun…

Then a flash of blinding light…

And as I spiraled to the floor, everything went black.


	3. Waiting

CASSIE

We were gathered in my barn. Everyone was there and waiting to start the meeting except for Jake. He still hadn't shown up and the meeting started a little over a half-hour ago. It wasn't like him.

Not like him at all.

"Where is he? It's not like him to be late." I said as I paced the barn. Paranoid? Oh, yeah. I was worried. Jake was never late. Never. Even if his parents grounded him, he always found a way to be here. Marco was sitting on his favorite bale of hay. I'm not exactly sure that it's his favorite, but he always sat on it. He was trying to act calm, but inside I could see him screaming.

He was worried to.

Rachel, however, was just mad.

"Who cares? Let's spy on the Yeerks without him, and then smash this stupid thing!" She exclaimed. She had a fire in her eyes. She wanted this done, and she wanted it done now.

It scared me.

"We can't go without Jake." Marco said grumpily. "He's our comrade, our general, our Fearless Leader!"

Rachel put her hands on her hip and tapped her foot impatiently. "So?"

"We can't do this without him." Marco stated quietly. It looked like Rachel was ready to murder him. She probably would have if I hadn't stepped in.

"Guys, Rach, don't worry! He'll be here, it's just taking him a while." I tried to believe my own words, but my voice had been dripping with so much doubt, that I found it hard to do.

What if he's hurt? What if something happened to him? We have no choice but to wait for him. If he's hurt, then we have to help him. Tobias asked us from high in the rafters. _You took the words right out of my mouth, Tobias. _I thought silently.

"Fine. We'll give him a few more minutes, but if he doesn't show, I'm leaving!" Rachel said and turned so that her back was to us.

"He'll be here you guys. He will. You'll see." I cried desperately to no one. So we waited.

Minutes soon turned into half an hour. Rachel, who had sat down after fifteen of his minutes were up, jumped up from the hay that she was sitting on and threw her hands into the air.

"That's it! I have wasted enough of _my_ time waiting for my stupid cousin to show up! I'm leaving! And when he finally does turn up, you can tell him that I quit!" She yelled as she stomped out the door. I ran after her.

"Rachel, wait!" I called. Tobias flew after her, catching up in minutes. Marco stood up next. He walked up to me as I turned around. He clasped my hand in his and told me quietly that he couldn't wait any longer before, he too, was gone.

I didn't even bother to stop him.

I turned and watched him leave. Ax and I were the only ones left in the barn. I knew that he would only follow Jake's orders, but if Jake didn't show up, I didn't know what Ax would do.

I heard Ax trot up behind me and put his tail to my cheek.

A sign of comfort.

Cassie, forgive me, but it is not like Prince Jake to be late. He said. I felt the tears form.

"I know, Ax. I know." I whispered. I turned to face him. His main eyes stared back at me, but his stalk eyes drooped down. I think it is the Andalite version of crying. Ax nodded his head sadly.

If he does return, please inform me immediately. He requested.

I looked up at him. "Of course Ax. I'll let you know as soon as he's been found." He smiled and thanked me. Then he galloped off in the direction of his scoop.

I gazed at the stars and let the tears spill onto my cheeks.

_Jake, where are you?_


	4. Realization

RACHEL

I stalked out of the barn. I wasn't mad. Oh no.

I was furious.

I heard Tobias come up from behind me. I stopped walking and felt his sharp talons dig softly into my shoulder as he landed there.

You know, Rach, you really have no right to be mad at him. We all know that Jake tries his best to be there for us and that the only time he's not there, something is either really wrong or he was hurt. Just wait a few more minutes and if he doesn't come we can search for him. He told me softly. I gazed at him with tear-stained eyes.

"Okay. But _we _shouldn't wait for him, Cassie can do that. Why don't we call his house? Or his mom's cell? She _always _picks up, and if she doesn't, then we'll know that something happened to him at home." I replied in a heavy voice. Tobias looked at me for a while, then nodded his tiny head and flew back towards the barn. _Probably to inform Cassie,_ I thought bitterly.

When he came back, I was already on my cell phone, calling Jake's house. Tobias landed on a nearby tree branch, the lowest one he could find. I waited patiently after dialing the number, but the phone didn't even ring.

Then, the operators voice came on, startling me. "_We're sorry but the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try redialing, and call again…"_

I hung up. _That was weird. _

_Unavailable? _The only time a number was unavailable was if that person had their number changed or if that person moved. Jake would have informed us if either had taken place.

I looked at Tobias. Seeing the worry in my eyes he asked me what had happened.

"Their phone didn't ring, and the operator said it was 'currently unavailable'…

I'm worried Tobias. What if something happened to him?" I confessed. He cocked his little bird head.

I'm sure he's fine Rachel. And besides, he's a strong kid. He can take whatever anyone throws at him. He told me. Then as an afterthought, he said. But maybe we should check on him, see why they're not picking up. You know, just in case. 

I nodded. "Yeah, okay. Let's go see what's up." I quickly morphed to eagle and joined Tobias in the sky. We flew for about fifteen minutes in silence, neither of us knowing what to say to the other. So for a while, we just flew.

As we neared his street, I saw flashing lights. I squinted hard and I could just make out three cop cars, two fire trucks, and an ambulance.

And a whole lot of people.

The scariest thing was that this was all taking place right in front of Jake's house. I looked at Tobias and found, to my surprise, that he was staring back. We looked back at the scene but saw nothing but smoke since the wind was blowing in our direction.

We flew around back and found a small forest near the edge of their property. We flew behind the few bushes that weren't on fire and demorphed. Well, in Tobias's case _morphed _to human. As soon as the morph was complete, we crouched low and looked at the wreckage. Now that the smoke had cleared, we should be able to see his house clearly.

I stared at it for a few seconds, and then I began to scream.

There was nothing there. Just pile upon pile of ash and dust. Where there had once been a house, there was now a huge, smoking crater that had been burned into the ground. And in the very center of the still burning flames, there stood a crumbling wall. And on that very wall was the house phone I had been trying to reach.

And that's when I realized why it was 'unavailable'. The phone had been completely destroyed and the bottom half was black and melted. The only thing on the wall that hadn't been touched, was the family portrait that they had gotten last year as a gift.

I glanced at Tobias. His chin was almost hitting his chest and his eyes looked about ready to pop out of his skull. He quickly shut his mouth, blinked, then looked at me.

" Well, now we know he's definitely _not_ okay.." His voice cracked as he said 'okay' and he looked away and began to demorph to hawk again. When the morph was complete he turned his head and looked back at the wreck, then turned, again, to me.

Come on. Let's get out of here. We have to tell the others. He told me. I nodded my head slowly, unbelieving. I felt the changes begin and soon after we took off yet again into the night sky. On our way we picked up Marco and Ax, and together flew back to the barn.

As we landed, Cassie looked pretty shocked to see us back so soon. Especially since we had just interrupted her conversation with none other than the Bear of Bad News: Erek King.

Cassie stood up as I demorphed. The others followed quickly. As soon as we were fully human, andalite, and hawk; she spoke.

"Guys, Erek and I have some really bad news to tell you. It's about Jake." She said sadly, her bottom lip quivering.

I sighed. "Don't worry Cass, you don't have to say it. Tobias and I already know." I stated simply. Cassie and Erek both looked confused. Erek stood up and wrapped his arm around Cassie's shoulders.

"How do you know?" He asked skeptically. Tobias and I glanced at each other before he spoke.

Look Erek, we saw his house, okay? We know that he's… we know what happened to him. Tobias trailed off, unable to say that final word. Erek on the other hand didn't look relieved. Not at all. Instead he looked even more confused.

"His house?" He said quietly. "What does his house have to do with anything?" I was confused.

"What did you come here to say if it's not about what happened to his house?" I asked genuinely confused. _Didn't he come here to tell us that Jake died in the fire?_ I asked myself.

" I came here to say that while I was down at the pool, I noticed a lot of the Yeerks were acting strange. They kept talking about this day being the best birthday Visser Three's had in years. Of course, I didn't think anything of it. Then, a few minutes later, as I was helping out at the infestation pier, I saw most of the controllers head towards the main entrance. My partner was replaced by two muscular-looking Hork-Bajir guards. Pretty soon, I too, was replaced. Since I wasn't working I decided to see what the commotion was about." He paused to let that information soak in.

"When I was about five feet away from the crowd," he continued, "they suddenly began to cheer. I ran to see what was happening and as I found a spot in the crowd where I could see, Visser Three and a couple of his strongest guards passed the spot where I was. Following right behind them, were six more guards. I couldn't tell who it was from where I stood, but I could see that they were dragging someone. A human." He paused again to cough, remembering that moment almost made him cry.

"The visser led them towards the stronger cages, where the Hork-Bajir were kept. As they dragged the child to the very last one, they stopped suddenly in front of it. The boy was unconscious, and because of this sudden movement, his head jerked up. And I saw his face right before he was thrown roughly into the cages." He stopped again and this time didn't continue.

"Who was it Erek? Who was he?" I pressed, wanting to know.

Erek looked at me sadly for a brief moment before glancing at the others.

"It was Jake."


	5. Caged and Cornered

JAKE

My eyelids were heavy and it hurt to lift them open. A searing pain in my head told me to go to sleep and forget about the pain.

Forget the pain… that would be nice. As I lifted my head to see where I was, a certain smell caught my attention and I realized that I wouldn't need my eyes to find my location. It was the smell of sludge.

Yeerk sludge…

I was at the Yeerk Pool.

My eyes opened quickly to the gloom of the dark room. I blinked a few times to get used to the light. Once they adjusted, I turned my head and saw at least four Hork-Bajir guards.

Yep. Definitely the Yeerk pool.

The intense pain in my head brought back horrifying memories from the day before. _They know, _I remembered. _They know everything. _I sat up, ignoring the sharp feeling in my temple. I reached up and put my hand to my head. When I brought it back, it was covered in blood.

One of the guards glanced in my direction and saw that I was awake. His face dawned in realization, and he quickly shared this information with his friends. Suddenly, all four straightened their poise, slapped their guns to their shoulders, and followed every move I made with their eyes.

It was obvious that they were nervous and weary about my capture. I laughed silently in my head. _What idiots. _Maybe I could use their fear of me as an advantage. And even if I couldn't, I still loved to irritate people. Enemy or not.

" So, any of you guys gonna tell me how I got here?" I asked menacingly. "Or do I have to figure it out all by myself." The guard who first saw me move, glanced at me once more before trying to look angry and tough again.

"Shut up, you _dapsen!_" He shouted at me. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Wow. Dude, it was just a question. You don't need to-"

"I said SHUT UP!!" He yelled. I raised my hands in defense. _Okay_.. Suddenly, two of the guards were replaced by two more. The old ones got up and began walking towards the exit. Halfway there, another guard joined them. They walked out and turned left, probably by a thought-speech order from the visser.

As if to answer my thoughts; a few minutes after they left, the doors opened again and Visser Three strode in holding his tail proudly above his head. _Pshh, go figure. Stupid Andalite pride, _I thought silently.

As he passed the guards, they stood at attention until he reached my 'cage', when they finally just left.He leaned in close to me and smiled in such a taunting way that I just wanted to rip it off his face.

Jake, Jake, Jake. Little baby, Jake. He mocked silently so that only I could hear. Did you really think you were sneaky? Did you really think we wouldn't find out? That you could outsmart me? The leader of the Yeerk invasion on Earth, soon to be name Visser _One?_

I gasped in genuine shock. _Visser One? _As if reading my thoughts, he smiled devilishly and nodded.

Yes, Jake. Visser _One._ He laughed. You can't outsmart me, my little bandit, as you will soon learn. Fool me, yes, but only for a short period of time. But outsmart me? Out_think_ me? Never. The three Hork-Bajir guards came back in, dragging a portable Yeerk pool. And as afraid as I was, I tried my best to hide it. I knew what my fate was. I couldn't stop it from happening no more than I could stop the rain from falling.

It would happen. Eventually.

I must have done a good job at covering up my fear, because the visser glared at me with so much hate that I could almost feel it burning through my very skull like a hot laser. If I had shown fear, he would have merely laughed and walked away. Instead, he just glared at me.

"Sir.." One of them said, breathing heavily. The Visser looked at him and then replied, Yes, thank-you Kytree. You have done your job well, however, I have one more task for you to accomplish. He smiled.

Just then, three more guards with green armbands walked in through the doors and walked towards us. All the visser had to do was nod his head, and they were off. It was like they had practiced it (which I'm still not entirely sure that they didn't). They all knew exactly where to go, exactly what to do. They didn't even flinch.

The guards that had green lined up in front of the cage, while another guard pressed a strange-looking keypad. At the very moment that he lifted his hand/paw thing off of it, a force field appeared about three feet away from the iron bars.

Facing me.

All six of them opened the iron door and stepped into the space between the two obstacles shutting the door behind them. The visser touched the keypad again, and the force field disappeared leaving nothing between me and six vicious-looking razor bladed creatures from hell.

The three without the pool took their positions to keep me still. I, however, was not about to go down without a fight. I tried to stand, but the pain in my head forced me to remain sitting. As the pain blinded me, they took the opportunity to secure my head, arms, and legs. One had one arm around my chest, wrist blade facing my throat, and the other arm covered my mouth. Another guard held both arms behind my back in a pretzel-like fashion. And it hurt.

A lot.

The last one shackled my ankles and then stood off to the side. While I was chained up and pre-occupied, the last three began to set up the pool and then grabbed my head and upper back and began to shove my head towards the gray sludge.

Visser One laughed silently in my head. You see, Jake? I told you before… resistance is futile. In the end, it doesn't matter. We always win. Always. 

I resisted. I really tried. But with two creatures pushing on my neck and no hands to help me, I was pretty much screwed.

My ear touched the water and my head plunged in after it. Down into the slippery, slimy, Yeerk sludge.

I felt something touch my ear.

And then the screaming began.


	6. Rushing to the Rescue

TOBIAS

The six of us flew through the sky at breakneck speed in attempt to get to the Yeerk pool before Jake was infested. Incase no one's told you, our leader was captured about an hour ago by our greatest enemies.

The Yeerks.

They have one advantage against us, and that is if they infest someone, you can't tell. Jake could be in a cage screaming at the guards and he could be a Yeerk. I guess we just had to trust our instincts. Visser Three would do one of two things. Either he would infest Jake, then have the Yeerk pretend to be him so he could get more information out of us. Or he would infest Jake, and have the Yeerk use Jake's powers to destroy us.

I really hope he chose the first one, because I'm pretty sure that none of us could go one-on-one with Jake, and win. And although I trust her fighting skills more than anyone else's, I'm pretty sure that even Rachel would wind up dead if she tried.

And she's our best warrior.

I'm a little paranoid. A little worried. This mission was supposed to be leading to our greatest victory. But that was when Jake was on our side. When Jake was still our leader.

Now, it could be leading toour greatest downfall.

I glanced at Rachel. I knew she would be crying if her morph had allowed her to. But hawks don't cry, I've realised that over the years of being one. And I also know that the look in Rachel's eye was not the look the a fierce bird-of-prey is supposed to have. It was one my friends and I know very well.

Fear.

I glided towards her, trying not to look to conspicuous to the ground viewers, and flew besides her. She didn't even notice me next to her so I guess I startled her when I spoke.

Hey Rach, I saw her jump, then slowly get a hold on her morph and look at me. She looked so sad.

What is it Tobias? she asked.

Are you okay? You seem kinda out of it. I spoke gently, not wanting to upset her or make her defensive. But so that I eased her mind and calmed her down a bit. She banked a sharp left and flew away from me.

Well that didn't go as planned.

From then on, I kept to myself, flew my own path and before I knew it, we were there. The Yeerk pool. The one place that none of us wanted to ever return to. We flew silently around the school building and then, since we knew they'd be expecting us, landed about a block east and demorphed in some bushes. We began walking there, trying not to look to out of place, but not trying to be noticed either. We stopped behind a pile of wood on the school grounds.

Marco glanced quickly over it, then flashed us a toothy grin. "It's party time boys and girls." He whispered. The rest of us looked over too.

I gasped along with Cassie and Rachel.

There wasn't a single guard to be seen. I looked to Rachel as she did the same and gave her an exited smile.

"Like Marco said." I laughed. "It's party time." We quickly stood up and made our way to the outer wall. Once there, we stopped as Rachel checked out the security. Her eyes widened in either horror or shock.

"Rach, what is it?" Cassie asked. Rachel just sat there, gaping at the window. Finally she shut her mouth and turned to us.

"Maybe they weren't expecting us." She said. "There isn't a single guard on duty and no one is here. The place looks absolutely disserted.

We all looked, only to find that she was right. No one was there, not even Chapman. I looked at Ax, who looked at Marco, who looked at Cassie who gave him a nod then looked at Rachel who flashed her a smile.

"Let's do it!" Rachel whispered pumping her fist into the air. Marco crossed his arms over his chest.

"Thanks Xena, you just ensured our defeat. Again!" Marco said. I looked between the two of them then took up Jake's roll.

"Come on you guys, let's do this! Battle morphs!" I said. Cassie winced. I guess she didn't like the fact that someone else said Jake's line right before be went into battle. We crept inside, careful not to alert anyone that we were there. Cautiously, we made our way down the hall towards the janitor's closet.

Otherwise, known as the secret entrance to the Yeerk pool.

We opened the door quietly so no one would hear us and, surprisingly, no one was inside. Rachel reached over and turned the knobs exactly how the Yeerks do it every time and the door opened. Cassie quickly covered her ears as we all awaited the screams that would greet us.

But none came.

Instead of screams there was cheering and laughing. I noticed that Ax had stopped dead in his tracks, apparently confused as to why there were sounds of joy coming from such a horrible place.

"Come on," Rachel said, jerking her head towards the staircase. "I want to see what's going on." She rushed down the steps, then pulled off to the right where we knew a door lead to an upper hallway. From there, one could see the entire cavern. I glanced at the others and shrugged my shoulders as I followed her.

The others followed behind me and objected when I suddenly stopped. Rachel was by the railing. But instead of looking out at the Yeerks, she was bent over, vomiting out anything she had in her system.

I rushed over to help her. "Rachel, are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked desperately. She didn't even glance at me. She just waved me away and then pointed to the area below us. And as I leaned over the railing, I saw what had made her sick to her stomach. The others saw it too.

Every single Yeerk was crowded around the back entrance, all of their faces where laughing and gleeful. In the very center of the group, we saw Visser Three, booming his thought-speech so that all could hear him. A figure was crouched below him, battered, bruised, and broken; he crouched over, vomiting blood somewhere beside the visser.

It was Jake. And he did not look good. His left eye was swollen and we could see his ribs poking through the sides of his completely ruined shirt. His right arm appeared to be missing and it didn't look like he could move his legs.

Visser Three stopped talking and suddenly lashed out at Jake with his tail. The blade connected squarely with his jawbone. He fell backwards and lay there as the crowed cheered. He didn't move an inch but I could see his chest rise and fall with his uneven breathing.

He looked only seconds away from death.

And we were no where close to save him.


	7. Bruised and Beaten

JAKE

It's been about an hour since my infestation took place, and I guess to all the Yeerks it was kind of a big deal. After Redyrt 682 gave Visser Three all the information I possessed on my team and exited my head, a lot of people who I knew were slaves came to see me. Then finally, after a while of stares and doubtful looks from classmates, my brother came in flanked by two guards.

I guess he was free because when he saw me, his eyes began to water. I looked up at him as the cage door open and the guards roughly pushed him inside, and stood up. For a while, we stayed that way. We stood there and kinda stared at each other for a few minutes, neither one of us saying a word.

Then, Tom took the initiative. "Jake," he whispered, his voice lined with regret. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen, I… I just wish I could have tried harder you know?" That was all we needed to break the tension. In a moment, we forgot the war and hugged each other.

After all, he was still my big brother and I was still his little one. And after all the years of desperation, I missed him. So we sat down hugging each other and crying until all of our tears were gone. And after that, I just laid there, listening to his heartbeat as he rocked me back and forth telling me it would all be okay in the morning. Then he left.But he was wrong, and things didn't get better.

Instead, they got worse.

I had fallen asleep early that night. I was exhausted, for it had been a long day of running away. However, the guards thought it would be funny to wake me up at two in the morning as a practical joke.

Ha-ha.

I didn't get back to sleep. The sounds of screaming hosts being infested kept me awake. I'd never been to the Yeerk pool at night. And I guess I'd always thought that the hosts stay awake, yelling at the guards. But I guess that they are people to, and everybody needs to sleep.

It grew quiet, and the silence scared me. Dark shadows played on the wall like some sort of nightmare. And since I was caged very close to the pool, they were the shadows of things that scared me the most. Since I didn't go to sleep, I cried. I cried until the moon slowly turned into the sun. I cried right up to the point where the guards had to yell at me to shut up. Right up to the point to when I didn't listen to them, and they shut me up themselves.

I guess I had to learn one thing about the Yeerks during my stay.

They do things either by force or by punishment.

The guards told me that they were having a celebration sometime around noon, and that I was to come. So I did. At 11:20, they took me out of my cage and dragged me all the way there. In the center of a very large crowd, stood the visser in human morph. He had a smug expression on his face and he laughed when I was brought to the front of the crowd and thrown by his side.

He quickly grabbed me by my shoulder and inserted something into it. Something hard and sharp that dug into my skin like a needle. I punched him hard in defense and he let go of me. I hit the ground and rolled to my feet, focusing on the tiger.

I would bring these bastards down one by one.

I looked down and saw that nothing was happening. I wasn't growing fur and my bones weren't shifting.

I wasn't morphing!

I concentrated harder and still nothing happened. The visser threw up his head and laughed evilly.

"Don't you get it little Jake?" He asked me. "You aren't morphing because you can't. And it's all thanks to my new toys! Say hello to the Morph Command!" He laughed as he pointed to the device in my shoulder. To my surprise it wasn't there anymore.

"Yes, Jake." Visser Three snarled. "It's already sunk into your blood stream." I couldn't take it, I wasn't about to become his pet! I lunged at him.

He saw it coming and stepped aside. He beat me good after that. Every time I hit the floor, the Yeerks cheered madly.

Visser Three tore out a couple of my ribs and broke the rest of them and let them poke out of my chest, staining my shirt a lovely shade of red. He then demorphed to Alloran's body and cut of my right arm at the elbow and proceeded with slicing my spine in half rendering me incapable of using my legs. He cut almost every part of my body and when he cut my stomach, I thought I was going to die right there.

I was busy vomiting up blood when he began to address the crowd. I didn't really feel like listening, however his voice was in my head so I had no choice.

My fellow Yeerks! Today is the day that we finally repay the souls who have suffered because of this… murderer. He began. I would like to do something that will let the council know how deeply regretful I am for not stopping this beast sooner. 

He shot out with his tail. It connected squarely with my jawbone and I fell backwards as my head exploded in stars. Or maybe I was flying forward. I couldn't tell anymore. All I know is that as I lay there, I realized that this was what was going to happen.

For the rest of my life.


	8. Pain and Suffering

MARCO

We saw Jake being thrown back into his cage. I still couldn't understand the fact that he wasn't fighting back.

"Tobias and Ax, can you guys create a distraction so that Marco, Cassie and I can get Jake out of here?" Rachel asked in a commanding tone.

((Of course Rachel.)) Ax replied. Tobias just nodded his head.

Rachel nodded her head at them. "Okay good. Tobias, you will have to give us the all clear when you're ready."

"Okay," he replied as he began to demorph. I looked down there.

"Rachel?" I asked.

She whipped her head around and glared at me. "What?" she snapped.

"Um, any ideas on how the three of us are getting past all those guards?" I asked nervously as Ax and Tobias left the room. She stared blankly at the battle below us.

"Nope." She admitted. "None."

I looked back at the guards. "We're doomed." I said.

((Okay you guys,)) We heard Tobias yell in our heads. ((the guards are all preoccupied with Ax in the main room. Now's your chance!)) Rachel looked at me with a glare that just screamed 'Come on guys! Let's do it!'.

We made our way quickly down the stairs, knocking out any controller who got in our way. We raced along the row of cages, trying to ignore the pleading cries of the hosts and quickly changed into our battle morphs.

"HHRROOOWWWAAA!!" Rachel bellowed as she knocked down the door. I caught a glimpse of five Hork-Bajir guards before they scattered out of the room, not even realizing that they out-numbered us by two. I shugged my shoulders and made my way down the row of cages, looking for Jake.

((Guys, over here!)) Cassie yelled. I quickly found her at the seventh-to-last cage, and ran to her side. Jake was inside, huddled in a corner, and shaking uncontrollably. I think he was afraid.

I tried to calm him down, ((Jake buddy, it's okay. It's just us, Marco, Rachel, and Cassie.)) I coaxed. His hands flew up and covered his ears as he screamed and kicked at the air.

"NO, NO, NOO! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" He screamed. I looked at the others, bewildered.

He was actually afraid of us.

((Jake, calm down. We're gonna get you out of here. You're safe now.)) I said soothingly. He just screamed louder. He sounded like someone who's never heard thought-speech before, only worse. I covered my ears.

((Jake! SHUT UP!!)) I yelled. His arms fell down limp and his face was expressionless. Rachel ran over and busted the door open.

WAA-BAMM!!

((Oops. Pardon me.)) She said sarcastically. I rushed over to Jake and picked him up. He was still for about a second, and then he began thrashing around in my arms, screaming in pain and clutching his head.

((Jake! Stop! Cassie, help me out here!!)) I yelled. In the cage to our right, a Hork-Bajir looked at us and then to Jake. _He has to know something about this_, I thought.

((Hey, you.)) He looked up at me sadly. I jerked my head towards Jake.((What's wrong with him? Why is he acting like this?)) The Hork-Bajir began to tell me what happened, from the beginning. He told me about the device that had been placed in Jake's brain, that made him follow orders. And about the sansor that knew when he was to leave the confinement and when he wasn't. During that time, he was to sit here; and if anything touched him, or if he touched anything, it would send electric jolts through his body.

That's probably why he was screaming.

I looked back at my friend as Rachel helped disable the chip. As it came out, blood gushed out of his temple and down his face. He became unconcious, and it was then that I saw how weak he looked to the Yeerks every day.

((Jake, what have they done to you?))

A/N: Okay, ik short chapter... but its gonna get good and the next one'll be longer... promise : P

... oh yeah, r&r please!


	9. Avengence and Hope

AX

I did not understand Rachel's commands as I understand Prince Jake's. But she was still the primary leader for the time being and her wish is my command. She wanted us to distract the controllers, and that I would do.

"TSEER!" Tobias screeched as he plunged into a crowd of Hork-Bajir controllers. He managed to scrape one's eyes and cause it to possibly be blind for life. The blood flowed from a gash above it's right eye and one streaking through his left.

He howled in pain as the others scampered away.

((_WHAT _IS GOING ON HERE??!!)) We heard the Visser screech as he rushed through the doors. The look on his face as he realized what was happening, was that of pure anger.

((Tobias,)) I yelled ((get the Yeerks into that confinement, and I'll take care of the Visser!" Tobias looked at me with concern as he flew passed me and said, ((Do whatever you want Ax, just don't get yourself killed.)) and then he flew off to distract the crowd.

The Visser made to follow him, but I stepped in his path.

((You're not getting away this time, Visser.)) I said bravely. I felt proud and scared at the same time. I was finally about to avenge Elfangor's death, and I would do whatever it took to ensure victory.

((Ah, little Aximili! Of course, how could I forget _you_? Little Jake has told me so much about you. Let's see if what he says is true!)) As he spoke that last word, he lunged at me a whipped his tail forward.

I quickly dodged it and struck him with the tip of my own tail. The piercing blade hit him in the tender ligaments in his left shoulder. They snapped, causing his arm to fall limp to his side.

((HAARRA)) He yelled as he ran at me, tail arched towards me. I didn't have time to dodge it. He swerved his tail underneath me and sliced the backside of my rear legs, cutting the tendons that were placed there.

I fell to the floor as blood poured from the open wounds on my now useless hind legs. I quickly began to morph, for what else could I do?

Visser Three circled me, staring at me evilly.

((Ha, ha, ha! Poor little Aximili! Abandoned by his friends. Abandoned to die!)) he taunted as he raised his tail even higher.

((Any last words, my little Andalite?)) he asked me.

I smiled as my lips formed and my fur turned from blue to yellow. ((Yes, I do. TOBIAS! NOW!!)) I yelled. He came flying in as I was just completing my cheetah morph.

((What the-)) was all the Visser managed to get out before my friend 'dive-bombed' him. Then, me and my Shorm raced off to find the others who would hopefully have Prince Jake.

I would avenge my brother another day.

We opened the door to the room in which we knew Prince Jake was being kept in, only to find our friends on the other side of it, carrying my Prince. They passed us quickly, and it was then that I noticed a wound in Prince Jake's temple!

((Marco!)) I cried, ((Prince Jake has been injured!)) He looked at me sadly.

((I know, Ax. I know.)) He said as he hoisted Jake onto his back and began to gallop off.

But we had forgotten that we hadn't injured Visser Three enough to prevent him from walking! He and a few Hork-Bajir Controllers caught up with us in minutes and began what was known to my Prince as 'The Free Battle.'

Marco set Jake down in a corner, and since he was unconscious, he didn't move. I stood over him, to protect his now fragile body. The battle was, as humans call it, a massacre. Host bodies flew everywhere, and the floor soon became slick with the blood of animal, Yeerk and Hork-Bajir. I searched for my friends.

Cassie was off to the right with Marco, both were fighting about half a dozen Hork- Bajir. Tobias was in the air dive bombing any one that looked like trouble. And Rachel, our best warrior, was in the middle of it all, swinging her paws at anyone close to being near her. Cuts and scrapes lined her body, and her fur was red with her blood.

Cassie's fur was also damp with blood, but most of it was not her own. Her left foot had been torn off completely and her stomach was ripped open, spewing its contents on the ground. Marco looked twice as bad, and Tobias only half.

But still they fought.

My prince woke up and told me to allow him to fight.

"I've learned a lot, Ax. Just let me fight." He said his eyes pitiable and sad. I hesitated. I couldn't disobey my Prince. On the other hand, I couldn't allow him to be hurt in battle.

However, I could not disobey his direct orders.

((Yes, my Prince.)) I said and stepped to the side. He got up and gave me a small smile.

"Don't call me Prince." He ordered jokingly.

I smiled.((Yes, Prince Jake.)) I teased before we charged into battle to aid our teammates.


	10. Mournful Battles

CASSIE

We charged into battle, the Yeerks on their side and us on ours. And then we charged.

I began to tear apart a poor Controllers leg, my teeth ripping apart all the tendons and ligaments. He screamed in agony and tried to shake me off, but that only caused him more pain.

So, instead, he took out his gun and shot at me. The dracon fire missed me by several inches but still caused me to jump back. He slashed at me with his wrist blades and managed to slice open my belly at one point.

((AHHHH!!)) I screamed in agony. The pain! It was almost unbearable!

I couldn't see, couldn't move. It hurt so much and, besides, I was tired. I should just sleep.

Then, again, unbelievable pain in my left paw. I howled in pain as I realized it was completely detached! I attacked the Hork-Bajir, ignoring the tired and pained feeling in my brain. I bit his throat and he went down, screaming the whole way. When I felt his spine crack, I jumped off, leaving him to fall as I rushed at another guard.

As I took him down too, I looked for my friends. Marco, I saw, was battling at least six guards; Tobias was dive bombing the on-rushing controllers; and Rachel was massacring anyone she could find.

We were all injured and beginning to tire. Beginning to slow down.

_Jake, _I prayed silently, _Please help us. We can't do this without you!_

Almost immediately after completing my thoughts, I saw Ax rush into the battle. However, he was supposed to be guarding Jake's unconscious form.

((Ax!)) I yelled. ((Where's Jake?)) Ax turned to look at me after slitting a controller's throat.

((I am not sure, I… I thought he followed me into the battle. He was with me, and now he is not.)) he admitted. I looked around as I dodged the wrist blade aimed for my neck.

There!

He was crouched behind a low wall that lead to one of the many staircases. Relief flooded through me. _Thank God, _I thought, _at least he's safe._

((Jake!)) I called. He jumped upon hearing his name.((What are you doing?)) I demanded. He just shrugged and pointed at something. I looked at what he was pointing to, and gasped.

The machine! He was going to destroy it.

I looked back to him and nodded my head in approval. ((Do it Jake. I know you can.)) I said softly.

It was as if I had said something different, because his response was on a whole other subject.

((I love you too, Cassie.)) He replied sweetly. If I was human, I would have cried. It was too much! Here we were, in the midst of battle, and he still had the strength and courage to tell me that he loved me. And trust me, it takes a lot of courage for a guy like Jake to say something like that.

He smiled at me before returning his attention back to the machine. He nodded his head and I nodded mine.

_Go,_ I willed him silently. _Go!_

As if he had heard me, he burst into action. Running from his hiding place, he stopped a couple yards away from the device. Then I saw why.

A dracon blast exploded the ground right about where he would now be, had he not stopped. Sparks flew and rubble sprayed down upon him from the bombshell like crater had been carved into the floor.

Even before the attacker had a chance to fire, Jake was on his feet again, running at the machine at full sprint. I stopped fighting for a minute and looked at him. My heart swelled with pride. Even after everything he's been through today, he still is trying to ensure this victory for us.

And it was at that moment that I realized, truly, how much I loved him.

((Come on Jake. Do this!)) I encouraged. ((Don't give up!!)) He looked at me and smiled. I really wish he wouldn't have, because then he might've seen the dracon beamed aimed and fired directly at him.

The next thing I knew, the ground was splattered with debris from the now destroyed floor and Jake was falling to the ground. And as he hit the floor, I'm pretty sure that everyone with good enough hearing, heard the sickening crack that came from the vertebrae in his neck.

_No, no! Not now, not like this!, _I commanded silently.

Out loud, I screamed his name. ((Jake!)) Again and again I cried out, willing him to move, to get up and smile brightly at me.

But he didn't. And I slowly realized that he never would.

And my heart didn't break, it shattered into a million tiny pieces.

A/N: cries I'm sorry but I had to do it… I had to kill him… I cant stand the thought of

Jake being held prisoner by those slimy, gray slugs forever! Oh God, the reviewers are g

gonna kill me for that one… please continue reading.. And don't forget to (dare I say it)

r&r!!


	11. Sorrowful Goodbyes

JAKE

The pain was so intense. My entire body felt as if it were on fire!

The rubble around me fell in smoking piles and the blood poured out of the open wound in my chest. A burn, yet a gash too. I don't know what to call it. A bash? A gurn?

Ha. I said gurn.

I could feel my mind go fuzzy, the memories showing up clear as if they were taking place at this very moment. I willed myself to morph, but another part of me just wanted to sleep. I was so tired.

But I had morph out. Make the bleeding stop. But the memories kept coming as I tried and soon I came to the one of the day before. The one of the Visser planting the chip in my bloodstream.

The chip that forced me to stay human unless the visser told me otherwise.

The realization of me being unable to morph hit me like a bucket of icewater.

Water.

I was so thirsty. I licked my lips to keep them wet, but the moisture soon evaporated in the heat. Maybe I could just sleep. And maybe, when I woke up, everything would be back to normal. Yeah, that's it.

I would wake up in my own bed, in my room. In my house. And my parents would both come in to wake me up, and embrace me, and wipe my tears away. My friends would all tell my it would be okay and that it was just a bad dream.

Just a nightmare.

My eyelids fluttered and finally closed as my breathing became more uneven. I sang an old lullaby softly to myself and let the darkness take me into its depths.

"So you can hear the rhythm of the ripples on the side of the boat,  
as you sail away to dreamland.  
High above the moon you hear a silvery note,  
as the sandman takes your hand." 

And the last memory I saw, was the one of me and Cassie on the Iskoort homeworld. Kissing. Embracing.

And as I swirled into unconsciousness, I smiled. Knowing that I had done one good thing.

I had loved.


	12. Brotherly Love

VISSER THREE/ONE

I held the still smoking gun in my weak andalite hand. A red stain had been produced from the spot in which he had died. From the blood that fell from the wound that killed him.

The wound that I made.

I laughed. Finally, after all these years of my people suffering, I was victorious. I had finally triumphed over their leader. Now, I could watch them suffer the way he had watched me.

They would pay.

I walked over to one of the many cages that lined the walls, my stride arrogant and proud. The humans in the cage totaled three. There was no one else there, just them. One human, who had been staring in shock at the spot where his brother had died, now

glared at me with much hate.

I believe his name was Tom.

The other two, Jean and Greg, were shocked. Speechless. But, of course, the hadn't been infested yet. They knew nothing of this war yet. Nothing except for that their son died.

However, the reason behind his death was still unknown to them.

But soon I would tell them. Not arrogantly. But proudly. He was possibly the greatest hero this pathetic planet has ever and will ever see. Therefore, he deserved to be talked about with great respect and his name should never be mocked.

He was a hero. And although he was killed in battle, he will remain a part Earth's history.

Forever.

I respect him now, and will respect him for the remainder of my life. He was a worthy opponent; he didn't die quickly like the others. Instead, he fought hard and gave it everything he had.

And though I _hate_ to admit it, I wish I hadn't killed him. I wish that I could still fight him like I used to. His claws against my tail. Always a fight to the death. Until a room caved in on us or something else happened where we were forced to retreat from the battle.

We were both leaders. He was the leader of a resistance, and I of an empire. But both of us had our own strategies. His was to fight and, if they can't win, to retreat to safety and fight another day. Mine was to take over any planet we find and to kill or infest anyone who stands in our way of doing so.

Different perspectives.

However, though he and I are different in many ways, we are both leaders. And any two people who are leaders, are brothers.

And it is our duty to respect our brothers, for we all go through the same scenarios. Everyday.

So it is only right, since my brother is dead because I killed him, to apologize to his family.

And it is only natural to not go to sleep that night because I stayed awake, crying.

**A/N: I know...visser crying bout jake? wtf? but I always wondered if those two had ever respected each other during the war since they knew what the other was dealing wit...idk! please r&r!!!!!!**


	13. CHANGES!

**Hey you guys!! make sure to really pay attention!!

* * *

**

**TOBIAS**

I was flying over head, attacking the controllers with my sharp beak and talons when it happened. I heard the explosion go off to my right. I saw Jake in the middle of a billowing cloud of deadly smoke. I saw the wound in his chest, the burned skin surrounding the massive cut. I saw the uneven floorboards.

I watched as Jake tripped and fell.

CRAACKK!!

I'm pretty sure everybody heard the sound that was caused by Jake's neck snapping in two as he hit the floor. He didn't get up.

And I knew he was dead.

I heard Cassie cry out his name, but she cried it out in vain. I knew, as she probably did, that he would never get up. Would never smile.

Would never live.

Our leader was dead. Forever. Marco ran over trying to get at Jake, but the controllers had surrounded his body making it impossible to reach.

((NOO!)) He screamed.

((Marco!)) I yeeled, ((Get out of there! Now!)) He actually obeyed me and ran out of the cavern along with Ax and Cassie. Rachel was still fighting, killing.

She hadn't heard the news.

((Rachel get out now!)) I said tiredly. ((We're retreating.)) By the sound of my voice, she knew something was wrong. And let me tell you, if Rachel senses that sort of thing, she can haul butt. Man, can that girl move.

I flew away from the Yeerk pool, following Rachel as she lumbered up the stairs as best as she could. At the top, the other three Animorphs were waiting for us.

We headed to the Hork-Bajir valley after exiting the school. I was flying in the air with Rachel and Cassie when it finally sank in.

Jake was dead.

My leader, my hero, my friend was dead. And he was never coming back.

Ever.

I listened to Cassie's silent sobs of anger and pain, and I realized just how much we needed Jake. As anyone else would see it, he was our leader. And he was. But to us, he was much more than that.

To Ax, he was a prince.

To Marco, he was a friend.

To Rachel, he was family.

To Cassie, he was a lover.

To me, he was a loyal companion. And all of us together, thought of him as our hero. Our savior.

He risked his life for us as a team multiple times, and we never even thank him. We, at the time, assumed it was just a part of battle. An act of war. But it wasn't.

It was an act of friendship.

For the first time in my life, I felt incomplete. Like something was missing. Or someone. Now that Jake was gone, I didn't feel like I belonged in the Animorphs anymore. I felt out of place.

When Jake was alive, he always made me feel welcome. And his smile made anyone who saw it, feel safe and made them smile, too.

_But he wasn't just a friend to us_, I realized. _He was a part of our family. Like a father to us, and we were his children. _

And like a dad, he protected us from every danger that we faced. Always there, by our side. Correcting our mistakes. Guiding us along and making our victories count.

Together.

I flew down and landed on a stump in the middle of a clearing. Everyone had been heading in that direction, so this way I cut them off.

Cassie was the first to notice me sitting there. Her hawk face filled with concern, thinking that I was hurt.

((Tobias, what's wrong?)) she asked me. By then everyone else had seen me and had began to wonder what was going on. I cleared my throat.

((Jake is what's wrong.)) I said calmly.

((Tobias I-)) Cassie began, but stopped abruptly when I cut her off.

((No, Cassie, let me finish.)) I snapped. I took a deep breath before continuing. ((Jake was our leader, our friend, and I'm going to tell you this right now. He did not deserve to die. He has risked his life for us countless times before, however, this time he could not escape death. He was like a father to us and we were like his children, learning to ride a bike for the first time.))

((From the very beginning, he believed in us. And along the way, throughout the war, we fell off that bike. And he pushed us back on, and encouraged us all throughout the battles. Now, we are finally understanding how to do things on our own. Because Jake helped us to believe in ourselves.))

((Now, he is dead. But it's okay. Because it's just like when a dad finally lets go of the bike, and we ride it on our own. He's not there holding our hand anymore. But like that child, we can feel him with us everyday.))

((Jake gave his life for us, our planet, and for our people. He died for the basic right of any sentient creature; the right to be free. Let's not make his sacrifice be in vain. Let's win this war. For ourselves. But mostly, for Jake.))

I swear a ray of light form the sun decided that right then was the perfect time to bathe my feathers in a yellow light, making them glow. The stormy clouds that had been forming completely disappeared. The others realized it too. We all knew that Jake was watching us, and that he was happy.

((Come on you guys.)) I said happily. ((Let's make this count. Together.))

**Did you catch it? Well if not, here are some wise words of wisdom... "Read. it. AGAIN!"**

**Thank you, xxtgxx**


End file.
